Sneaky things you do to save money without your family knowing

[DisneyBeagle]

My coworker is talking about the ways she saves money without her family knowing. She waters down the liquid laundry detergent, shampoo and milk (hopefully not at the same time). She buys store brand cereal and keeps refilling boxes of name brand cereal.

Do you have any little secrets for saving money that your family isn't aware of?

 

[pampam]

DH likes a certain brand of margerine. I buy a brand thats cheaper but tastes the same, freeze it, and put the frozen margerine into his margerine container. He's happy, and I am too.

 

[Tink-aholic]

My coworker is talking about the ways she saves money without her family knowing. She waters down the liquid laundry detergent, shampoo and milk (hopefully not at the same time). She buys store brand cereal and keeps refilling boxes of name brand cereal.

Do you have any little secrets for saving money that your family isn't aware of?

While I can see the value of the others, I don't agree with watering down milk for the sole purpose of saving money.

 

[disney_me]

I also water down my laundry detergent and fabric softener. Our laundry dose not get that dirty so I feel using the full amount is a big waste! I also water down my cleaning products I have a squirt bottle that I fill with about a third of water then fill the rest up with cleaning products.

More money in my pocket means more trips to Disney!

 

[C.Ann]

My coworker is talking about the ways she saves money without her family knowing. She waters down the liquid laundry detergent, shampoo and milk (hopefully not at the same time). She buys store brand cereal and keeps refilling boxes of name brand cereal.

Guilty as charged of similar activities - but no watering down of milk.. Ugh!

I'm big on "brand" switcheroos..

 

[4HppyCamprs]

i am cheap when it comes to disposables/consumables but i dont have to hide it because my whole family knows it. They are learning to be frugal as well. There are certain things that I buy name brand because the generics do not taste good and there are certain things I buy generic because they are just as good if not better than name brand. I would not ever water down milk blah. I do water down the kids juice though. That I hide

 

[sydneysmom]

I don't necessarily do a switcheroo.....I do buy alot of store brand stuff and it's right there in the cabinet. My DH isn't really concerned if it's name brand or not.... he likes saving money too. Now, some things we won't get store brand, but for Tylenol / Advil....definitely store brand. (pretty much anything like that)

Watering milk down....never. I would think the nutritional value would get watered down as well. I use coupons alot, so we save generally 45-48% each shopping trip (when paired w/ sales) so I really don't have to do the switcheroo.

 

[leight]

I never use the same amount of laundry detergent that is asked for- a washing machine repair man once told me not to!

I water down conditioner- probably about a third. The kids don't know the difference and it works fine.

DH swears that he can only eat Ronzoni pasta. What he doesn't know is that I haven't fed him Ronzoni in about 9 months. I've been getting meullers for about 7-12cents a box and just pour it into the Ronzoni box! Funny, but he hasn't noticed the difference!

DH also says only Aunt Jemima pancake mix tastes good. When I run out of the stocked up boxes thru bogo- I replace with the target no name brand. I swear its made by Aunt Jemima! Again he didn't pick up on the change!

But in most cases, that's after I taste test them. Some things you really can tell but these I just can't and apparently neither can dh!

 

[DisneyBeagle]

While I can see the value of the others, I don't agree with watering down milk for the sole purpose of saving money.

I would think that you would be able to tell the difference. She said her family doesn't notice because they only use it on cereal and oatmeal and don't drink glasses of milk.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

I just started making my own pancake syrup http://www.food.com/recipe/maple-syrup-104446 and pouring it into an Aunt Jamima bottle.

The kids proclaimed the syrup to be even tastier than usual, this was after I had made it the night before and put it on the table in a regular glass container and they refused to touch it. Pour it into a familiar container and then they love it.

And I made some chocolate sauce and poured it into a Hershey's syrup bottle. http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-sauce-throw-away-your-hersheys-26276

I do buy no-name brands to save money, no one seems to care too much. I have been making my own laundry soap for years, but it just goes into a giant plastic bucket.

 

[IUTBAM]

My family is entirely on board with anything I do to save money on groceries, toiletries, etc. I wouldn't hide it from them, especially the kids. They learned a long time ago that money doesn't grow on trees, and you should always get the best value for your dollar.

 

[AmandaRG]

When DH isn't home, the kids and I can sit all day without running the AC or the television. It doesn't work quite the same once he gets here.

 

[DawnM]

Most things I do quite openly, but one thing I do is buy produce on the clearance rack if there is any.

DH will see the clearance bag labels and not touch it, so I get a regular produce bag and once I pay for the item I get it to the car and put it in a regular produce bag before I get home!~

Other than that he is pretty good about my bargains.

I make my own laundry soap and try to make most things from scratch.

Dawn

 

[timmac]

I just started making my own pancake syrup http://www.food.com/recipe/maple-syrup-104446 and pouring it into an Aunt Jamima bottle.

The kids proclaimed the syrup to be even tastier than usual, this was after I had made it the night before and put it on the table in a regular glass container and they refused to touch it. Pour it into a familiar container and then they love it.

And I made some chocolate sauce and poured it into a Hershey's syrup bottle. http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-sauce-throw-away-your-hersheys-26276

I have to be honest, I'm wondering about actual cost savings on these two items... not just the raw ingredients, but the cost of using a stove to boil the syrups, and I'm thinking the time/value proposition just isn't there.

Only my opinion, though, if it works for you, then that's awesome.

 

[hearts8701]

i have been switching store brand ketchup & mustard for years

 

[SandrA9810]

You know how much real maple syrup costs in the store?? It's expensive. Then trying to find a fake syrup without HFCS is just out of the question. I'd take the real sugar fake any day over that stuff they sell in the store.

For the most part... I just wind up avoiding making pancakes for this reason.

 

[scrapquitler]

You know how much real maple syrup costs in the store??.

Yep, I know EXACTLY how much. $31 for a half gallon. That's what I paid at the farm where they made it last spring. With the REAL Vermont syrup, you only need to use a little bit, so that half gallon lasts a long time. And no HFCS in it.

The Aunt Jemima crap that my DD and DH like costs $4 for 24 oz and to get any flavor of syrup they have to use a ton of it, so I end up buying 3X as much of it, so it doesn't end up being that much less expensive.

Either way, its worth paying extra for good things sometimes. Maple syrup is definitely one of those things that you get what you pay for.

 

[DisneyBill]

Oh, how about cooking hard eggs in the dishwasher to avoid using electricity for the stove and adding to home cooling costs in the summer.

 

[Carina]

I have to be honest, I'm wondering about actual cost savings on these two items... not just the raw ingredients, but the cost of using a stove to boil the syrups, and I'm thinking the time/value proposition just isn't there.

Only my opinion, though, if it works for you, then that's awesome.

Did the pancake syrup tonight - used about 50 cents worth of ingredients, and start to finish ( including walking to kitchen and rinceing pot when done) I made a bottle of syrup in 5 mins.

It was sooooooooo simple and easy and it really does taste good.

Not sure what I think of the choc syrup ( time and ingredients and taste vs cost savings) but I am 100% sold on the Pancake syrup!

I enccourage you to try the pancake syrup at least once!

 

[dyna]

Funny I remember DH buying a cheaper brand of hotdogs for my then 2 yr old she did not see the package but took 1 bite spit it out handed her plate back to me an said NASTY you eat it.

If I tried switching brand by pouring cereal or anything else in a brand name box that DH likes I'd get caught unless I got rid of the genric box an throwing it in garbage would not work cause dh has been known to go thru garbage to see what I thru out that day. I'd have to throw the box in neighbors garbage can.